Haroldo Conti
Encyclopedia
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
writer, screenwriter, teacher and Latin professor. On May 5, 1976 he disappeared
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
during the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional military dictatorship, on this day the "Día del Escritor Bonaerense" (Day of the Buenos Aires writer) is held in his honour.
Biography
Conti was born in ChacabucoChacabuco, Buenos Aires
Chacabuco is a city in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the head town of the Chacabuco Partido and has a population of 34,958 inhabitants...
, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
. He was the son of Petronila Lombardi and Pedro Conti, who was the founder of the Chacabuco eronist party. He studied Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the University of Buenos Aires
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
, he finished his studies in 1954 and wrote the film La bestia debe morir ("The beast must die").
In 1955 he married Dora Campos and together they had two children: Alejandra and Marcelo.
Conti had a passion for the Tigre river
Tigre River
The Tigre River is a Peruvian tributary of the Amazon River west of the Nanay, and is navigable for 125 miles from its confluence with the Amazon. It forms from the confluence of the Ecuadorian rivers Cunambo and Pintoyacu at the Peruvian border. Like the Nanay, it flows entirely on the plains. ...
and the Paraná Delta
Paraná Delta
The Paraná Delta is the delta of the Paraná River in Argentina. The Paraná flows north–south and becomes an alluvial basin between the Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos and Santa Fe, then emptying into the Río de la Plata....
, it features in several of his works and in 1960 he built a boat, El Alejandra, which he used on the Tigre river.
In 1962 he published his first novel Sudeste ("South-East"), which won the Fabril award and appeared on the Primera Plana best-sellers list in 1963. In 1964 his book of short stories Todos los veranos ("All the Summers") received the second Premio Municipal.
In 1967 his book Alrededor de la jaula ("Around the cage") won an award at the Veracruz University in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Between 1967 and 1976 he taught Latin at Liceo Nacional Nº 7 in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. In the early 1970s he travelled to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
to attend the Casa de las Américas. He continued to win prizes and awards for his work and in 1975 his novel Mascaró, el cazador americano ("Mascaró, the American hunter") won the Casa de las Américas Prize
Casa de las Américas Prize
The Casa de las Américas Prize is a Cuban cultural award given by the Casa de las Américas, an organization founded in April 1959. It is one of Latin America’s oldest and most prestigious literary awards....
.
Around October 1975, Conti was warned that his name was included on a list of "subversive agents" compiled by the military. After the military coup in 1976 he was arrested in his shop on 1205 Fitz Roy street, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. In 1979, three years after his disappearance, the ministry of education sent a letter claiming that Conti had retired in order to "carry out various tasks". He is currently included on the list of permanently disappeared.
Novels
- Sudeste (1962)
- Alrededor de la jaula (1966)
- En vida (1971)
- Mascaró el cazador americano (1975)
Short stories
- Todos los veranos (1964)
- Con otra gente (1967) (o Perdido)
- La balada del álamo Carolina (1975)
- Las doce a Bragado
- Ad Astra
- Los novios
Legacy
On May 5 the "Día del Escritor Bonaerense" (Day of the Buenos Aires writer) is held in his honour. An number of his works have been made into films including "Crecer de golpe" (1977), based on "Alrededor de la jaula" and "Sudeste" (2003).In 2002 a telefilm of his story, "Los perfumes de la noche" directed by Santiago Palavecino was broadcast.